Its Come to This
by Room304
Summary: When Joren's boss mysteriously winds up dead, it's up to Joren, Kel, Daine, and Neal to find the killer.(A KelJoren story, also DN AG) alternate universe fic
1. The beginning of the end

Well, I'm back. This story has been completely rewritten and I hope you enjoy the changes! The name of the song in this chapter is called closing time. I'm not sure who sings it.  
  
At 6:30, the bookstore was closed. The early morning sunlight streamed through the two large glass windows at the front of the store, hitting the bookshelves and sending strange shadows across the dusty floor. The smell of pastries form the bakery across the street wafted through the room; their delectable scent coated the air and made the mouths of passerby's water. The sound of birds chirping in a nearby park was droned out by the peaceful hum of the city as it slowly awoke. The noise of a key turning in a lock broke the tranquility of the morning, and the door in the back of the store creaked as it was pushed open by the owner of the Emperor Mage, a by the name of Numair, as he walked into the room and switched on the fluorescent lights. Bookcases that held hundreds of books were spread around the room and divided into many different categories- mysteries, fantasies, and nonfiction. A small counter was built into the back of the room in the left hand corner. An old computer and an equally ancient cash register sat atop the counter's cluttered surface; books were piled all around the two, filling almost every free space on the desk.  
Numair, an older man in his late thirties, strode across the room and sat in the uncomfortable chair behind the counter. He quickly ran his fingers through his short, graying dark hair and then began to type. He was looking over the shop's financial records and, for the first time since the shop opened two years ago, the store was out of debt. Numair was hoping to use this money to hire a new employee. He already had two skilled workers: Neal, a college student and skilled procrastinator who usually force himself to get along with almost anyone who entered the store except, of course, for Joren, Numair's other employee. While Neal made himself easy to work with, Joren didn't even pretend to care about his job. He was cynical, narcissistic, and the most arrogant individual he had ever met, but for some strange reason, Numair found him the most fun to work with. You could tell just by looking in his pale blue eyes that he was brilliant, but an unlucky past had kept him out of college and any chance of a successful future. Joren and Numair were always insulting and picking fights with one another, but Numair knew he was the closest thing to a family that this boy had. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded Numair of an earlier version of himself that kept the boy around, but nevertheless he had been working at the emperor mage since it first opened.  
Numair had gotten into some trouble many years ago and had basically just turned his life completely around. He had a great and entirely legal job, a beautiful girlfriend, hell, he even had a new name, and he was, for the first time in a very long time, truly happy. But occasionally he still thought about his past. He never meant to but it always seemed to sneak back into his memory when he least expected it, especially in his dreams 'We all have nightmares to remind ourselves who we are'. That was something that he had heard in a movie once. Unlike Numair, the man in the movie was trying to remember his past, not forget it. "Well this certainly isn't a positive way to start the day," Numair said to himself as he pushed the past out of his head.  
After Numair had been at the store for about thirty minutes, he started to wonder where his employees were. Joren was always late, but Neal usually was there even before himself. Suddenly, there was a loud wrap on the door. "Speak of the devil" Numair thought as he saw Joren through the clear glass door. "I'm tempted to leave that locked," He said with a laugh as he went to let Joren in. " What are you doing here so early? I expected Neal before you" "Its his day off" "Oh, well then listen, I'm leaving about an hour early, do you think you can cover for me?" "Do you really think that I could handle this whole big store all by myself?" He replied with a grin. "Where are you going if you don't mind my prying?" Numair was pleased to find that Joren was in an uncharacteristic good mood. " I've got a hot date". " At your age I bet those are hard to come by" " Shut up and start unloading the new shipment of books" Joren laughed and went upstairs to unpack the boxes of newly printed books and came back down to stack them onto the shelves, doing this for the next few hours while customers started pouring in. For a Monday morning, business was booming. Numair was looking very frazzled as he tried to ring up the purchases of all of the avid readers in the store. "Need help?" Instead of replying to the grinning Joren, Numair just glared. Joren laughed as he took his place behind the counter.  
Closing time, open all the doors  
And let you out into the world  
Closing time, turn all of the lights on  
Over every boy and every girl  
Closing time, one last call for alcohol  
So finish your whiskey or beer  
Closing time, you don't have to go home  
But you can't stay here  
  
By five that afternoon, business had slowed significantly. Only one woman was left in the store. Luckily for Numair, it was the perfect time to leave. " Have fun with Daine tonight". "How do you know I'm having dinner with Daine?" " Because you have been going out with her for the past four years." " You don't think that I could date two women at once?" Joren paused, gave Numair a once over, and started laughing. " Oh, all right. It's Daine, but you know you could at least humor me sometimes and lie to get me to leave you alone" " Not even close to as much fun. Hey you better get out of here before you get your ass kicked." "Pardon me?" " By Daine. You're late again." "Shit" Numair muttered as he made his way out of the shop. "Remember to close up at six." " I'll see if my dull, unintelligent brain could possibly process and remember that difficult of information." " Cut the sarcasm; it won't get you anywhere. And it's rude". " God forbid I should ever be rude". Numair yet again rolled his eyes as he walked out of the door, accidentally running into an entering customer. Numair issued a quick apology before rushing out of the door. The man who he hit was a tall, black-haired man somewhere in his forties. The man walked directly up to the counter and began talking to Joren. "Is Numair here?" The guy said, trying his hardest to be causal and failing miserably.  
"Nope, you just missed him. Well, actually you hit him, but you know what I mean. But I might remember to tell him you came by if you give me your name." The stranger smiled a very toothy grin and replied in a now creepily calm and arrogant voice, " Why my name is Jonathon, but I don't see how that is any concern of yours. Now, the reason I came in here was to see if you carried the book My Dark Places?" " Your dark places, huh?" Needless to say, Jonathon did not laugh at his joke, so Joren coughed and began talking again. "Yeah, we have it. Check the mystery section." "Well, I looked but I couldn't seem to find it". " Bullshit. You just got here about a minute ago; you didn't have time to look!" "Yes," Jonathan argued, an exceptionally phony smile on his face. "But I couldn't seem to find it". "Yes," Joren tried his hardest to mimic Jonathon's tone, "but you didn't look." " I couldn't find it so could you start showing why you're here and find the damn book!" Joren stared at the man; it was killing him not to say the comment that was about to come bursting from his mouth. 'Cut the sarcasm; it won't get you anywhere' Numair's voice stuck in his mind like an annoying pop song that you hate but have heard too many times on the radio. And, due only to Joren's extreme amount of self-control, he shut up, got the book, and began to ring up the man's purchase. "Will that be all for you, kind sir, on this very lovely evening?" Screw self-control, its not like anyone ever uses it. Jonathon, apparently oblivious to the sarcasm, grabbed his book and left the store, saying over his shoulder, "I hope I wasn't too much trouble!" "No trouble at all, asshole!" Joren yelled after him. " I leave you alone for one day and you are already cursing out the customer." Neal said with a grin as he walked through the door. "Today's your day off" "Yeah, but it's also payday. Where Numair?" "Out" "Oh, do you know where?" "Yep" Neal rolled his eyes. "Ass" "What's with the profanity, man?" Joren shouted to Neal's retreating back, a wide grin covering his face when he realized he finally had gotten to the guy.  
  
Closing time, time for you to go out  
To the places you will be from  
Closing time, this room won't be open  
Till your brothers or your sisters come  
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits  
I hope you have found a friend  
Closing time, every new beginning  
Comes from some other beginning's end  
  
AN: I'm not sure if the lyrics really fit this chapter, but it's a pretty cool song so it works. I decided to continue this story when I realized how much of the majority of all K/J stories were beginning to sound the same. Hopefully, mine will be different. And a note to my betas: If you still want to beta this story then EMAIL ME!!! 


	2. It couldn't get any better than this

Numair jumped into his old, lemon of a car (no one said that there was a lot of money in the book business) and sped off as quickly as he could to meet Daine. The pair was meeting at Schwartz's, a casual little Italian restaurant where they both enjoyed eating. Tonight, they were celebrating their four-year anniversary, which Numair took to mean he was getting laid tonight. He was still amazed that he could get a girl like Daine. She was young, beautiful, smart, funny... everything that he had ever wished for. She made his life seen better than he ever thought it could possibly be. It was so hard to believe that it had been four years and they hadn't even moved in together, but Daine had said that she wanted to take it slow and Numair was ok with this until he found out how slow she meant. The restaurant was a calm, quiet place near the park on Main Street. It was run by a family Daine had known all her life.  
  
Disenchanted lullabies,  
Sing me yours I'll sing you mine  
Sing with me now what's a boy to do  
What's a boy to do?  
  
Sing along for yesterday  
Sing along my soul to take  
Sing along another song for you  
What's a boy to do?  
  
Numair got out of his car, locked it, and headed into the diner. Despite how dilapidated it looked from the outside, the inside was fairly nice- looking. He spotted Daine immediately. She was sitting at a table in the corner furthest away from the door. She was wearing a strapless black dress that fit her slender figure perfectly. Her shoulder length, curly brown hair was pulled back, exposing her narrow shoulders. As Numair made his way over to her she looked up from the spot she was staring at on the table and smiled at him. " You're late". "Only by a few minutes," he stated in his defense. Daine snorted. "Try thirty." Numair grinned apologetically. " Things were a little... hectic at the store today. Things always are always shorthanded when Neal takes a day off. But for some odd reason Joren was in a good mood today so he helped as much as possible." " Why haven't you fired him already?" " What? With the way things were today, I was thinking of hiring an extra set of hands, not firing one of workers." " Yes, but", Numair hated the dreaded "but". It meant that she was about to disagree with him completely, despite the yes. "Yes, but he ruins your working environment. He is the reason I hate to visit you at work. Every time I walk in there I can feel him judging me. You know, I bet he is an animal abuser." Numair laughed. Daine worked at a small vet clinic right outside the city, so that was probably the worst insult that she could give someone. " I'm not quite sure how you managed to do it but you got on his good side. He likes AND trusts you. Whenever I talk to him he looks at me pityingly like he feels ashamed by my lack of intelligence. But, I have to admit, when he looks at me with one of those gorgeous blue eyes..." They both laughed. Daine often joked about leaving Numair for Joren. At first, her saying this had worried him because he knew that his twenty- three-year-old, blonde haired, blue eyed employee was closer to Daine's own age and was obviously better looking than he was. Thankfully, Daine hated Joren, so his worries were immediately put to rest.  
Whisper with me pass the time  
Whisper for the days gone bye  
Whisper with a voice inside of you  
  
They went through dinner normally, talking and joking throughout the meal. In fact, it was a completely normal date until they were walking through the nearby park and one of those dreaded "discussions" started. "Numair," Daine stopped walking as she broke the silence. " We have been dating for four years. And you haven't asked me to move in with you or.anything along those lines. I know when we met I said we should take things slow, but I never meant this slow."  
He was at a complete loss for words. He hadn't even had inkling that she was unhappy about their relationship; he assumed that he was the only one not exactly satisfied.  
Daine continued. " You know, I think I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands. Here" she said as she handed him a small black box. "Now, get down on one knee"  
Numair laughed and did what she said.  
With this ring you will be mine  
With this ring I'll multiply  
With this ring surrendering to you  
What's a boy to do?  
  
"Now, repeat after me, 'Daine, will you marry me?'"  
"Daine, will you marry me?"  
Daine grinned. "Now, put the ring on my finger". Numair did as he was told and replied, " Now you repeat after me "Of course I will"  
I may be scattered  
A little shattered  
What does it matter?  
No one has a fit like I do  
I'm the only one who fits you  
She was grinning uncontrollably now. "Oh my God! I have to go home and call my mom! Thank you, thank you! I'll call you tomorrow!" And she ran back to her car, got in and drove away, leaving Numair in a state of shock.  
  
It didn't look like he was going to get any tonight.  
  
Back at the Emperor Mage Joren was trying to lock up and keep the box of files that he was balancing in one arm from falling onto the sidewalk. He managed to complete both tasks, get in his car and drive home. That was, until he was almost hit by a small, black BMW.  
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" he yelled and flicked the guy off. Joren stared in disbelief once he realized who the driver was; that's right, it was the bastard from the bookstore. What was his name? Oh yeah, Jonathon. "This guy is out kill me! First he tries driving me insane and when that didn't work he tries to run me over with his fucking car!"  
Remembering the asshole from earlier, he realized that he forgot to mention to Numair that the guy was asking for him, which prompted him to take the street that would get him to Numair's house instead of his own. But the memory of what happened last time he went over to Numair's without calling first immediately popped into his head. He remembered seeing a whole lot of Numair and a whole lot of Daine. Together. On the couch. Ok, that was enough of that. He really didn't want to remember that day. Regardless, he got out his car phone and called Numair. The phone rang once, then twice, and by the tenth ring he hung up. By this time he had reached Numair's apartment building and decided to walk up to his apartment, just leave a note on his door, and talk to him about the guy tomorrow. Looking back on it, Joren could remember a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he climbed the stairs to Numair's apartment, but at the time he just ignored it.  
  
Numair heard a knock on his door. Before he could make it to the door, the person knocked again, this time more impatiently. When Numair opened the door he was shocked to see a person he had prayed never to lay eyes on again. " Jonathon. Wh- what a surprise." The nerves were making Numair stutter and he suddenly wished he had never opened that door. " Bet you never expected to see me again" Malice had taken over Jonathon's voice now. He shook a shocked Numair's hand. " I came here to tell you that what happened between us happened a long time ago and that I have finally come to terms with myself and forgive you."  
Numair breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't know how great it is to hear you say that. Although I have changed so much in the past twenty years, not a day goes by that I am not horrified and ashamed by what I did back then." Jonathon, now safely inside Numair apartment, patted Numair on the shoulder. " Change is constant; people change from day to day. And you are a different person, Aram."  
When he heard that name, he knew he was in trouble. Jonathon would not leave his apartment without him dead. Joren knocked on the door to Numair's apartment and when no one bothered to answer the door yelled, " It's Joren. I brought the files. "No answer. " I'm coming in. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was the top of Numair's head over the back of a chair. " Why didn't you answer?" Joren asked. " I mean I knocked and..."He stopped suddenly when he got a good look at Numair. "Fuck" he added in a barely audible whisper.  
I may be scattered  
A little shattered  
What does it matter?  
No one has a fit like I do  
I'm the only one who fits you  
  
AN: The song in this chapter is Disenchanted Lullaby by Foo Fighters, who I recently got to see in concert. Dave Grohl is a sexy beast! Anyway, please review! Oh, and next chapter will introduce Kel, Alanna, and others! 


	3. I'm on the Outside

"So what do we have here?" Officer Keladry Mindelan asked her boss, Lieutenant Alanna Cooper. They were investigating the apparent suicide of local bookstore owner Numair Saliman in his apartment, which was convienantly located in the worst section of town.  
"Single gunshot to the left side of his head. First officer I sent in here lost his lunch right over there." And Alanna could definitely see why. The shot was fired at very close range so that the right side of his face, the site of the exit wound, had basically been blasted to bits. Blood and fragments of his scull were scattered across the room; half of the victim's head was gone.  
"The guy who found him is outside. His name's Joren, I couldn't get a last name. I sent Dom out there to watch the guy but I'm gonna need you to talk to him."  
Kel smiled. She knew that Alanna was trying to spare her from the gruesome job of cleanup and she appreciated it immensely. "I'm on it" was her quick reply as she briskly walked out into the hall. Dom was probably her closest friend on this shift, in fact they had even gone on a few dates in the past, but it was never anything serious. Dom was standing in a far corner of the hallway, asking a few questions to the man who had to be the guy Alanna mentioned. He looked to be in his mid twenties, with shoulder length white blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a silver hoop through his left eyebrow. Kel immediately noted how pale and withdrawn the man looked. The sight inside had obviously gotten to him. She cast a brief smile at Dom as she approached the two men.  
"Hello, I'm officer Kel Mindelan. I assume you are the one who found the victim-" he didn't answer her so she kept talking, " can you tell us exactly what happened here tonight?"  
" I didn't see anything; obviously I was a little fucking late to catch the 'big show'"  
The Officer looked at him in shock. Usually, people in this situation were a little more cooperating. Immediately, her suspicions of the man were raised. So, logically, she decided to keep on talking; if she couldn't get any information out of this asshole, the least she could do would be to annoy the hell out of this guy.  
"Well then, can you at least tell me how you knew the victim?"  
This statement seemed to really piss Joren off and, before she knew it, he was launching an all out verbal tirade against her.  
"Why the hell should I tell you? What could you possible do for me? Or even for Numair? I mean, you guys rush in here with your fucking feathers ruffled and jump to the easiest conclusion about this case so you can get back to your nice station and take on another half-assed case. You're just going to rule Numair's death a suicide, which the bruises forming around his neck and mouth already prove not to be true. So, I digress, why the hell should I help you?"  
Officer Mindelan wasn't exactly sure how to answer that and as Joren glared at her in silence, she felt her only option, other than blowing this guy's brains out, was to lose her composure completely and cry. Luckily, Dom saved hre from the emotional breakdown she had been anticipating to come.  
"Why should you help us? Because if you don't, then we get to throw this pair of handcuffs on you and you get two to four years in prison for obstruction of justice. So, smart guy, that's why."  
Kel had never been that proud of Dom before. But as she turned her smile of approval on him, he had to ruin his whole newly-formed tough guy image.  
"Hey Kel, guess what? 'Smart guy' and 'that's why' rhyme! Whoa! You know, I've always had a keen understanding of poetry; my cousin's a poet."  
She looked at Dom incredulosy before stopping to just shake her head sadly.  
"He was my boss."  
Kel was so distracted with thinking of ways to murder herr former partner that she almost didn't hear Joren speak.  
"What?"  
Joren sighed and a look of disparity took over his face as he answered the question again.  
"He was my boss, we work in a bookstore across town. He left me in control of the store for the first time tonight. I was coming by to tell him how things went."  
Officer Mindelan cleared her throat; She had to admit that this guy's sudden cooperation came as a shock to her.  
" Do you know where he went tonight?"  
"He said something about having a hot date", he replied with a smile. That conversation happened not even a day ago and he was already looking back at it as a fond memory from years before. "His girlfriend's name was Daine. They were going out for dinner".  
Officer Mindelan smiled. "Thanks", she replied as she turned and started walking away from the two men. But before she made it halfway down the hall, she whipped her head around one more time to look at Joren. It amazed her how minutes before she had hated the overconfident asshole and now, as she looked back and met his hansomly tragic eyes, she found herself feeling sorry for and, in some strange way, identifying with him. They both masked their emotions as best the good, to keep people from getting too close and discovering the monsters that they were inside  
"I will try my hardest to find out what happened to your friend, Joren. And I promise that I will not leave this case until it's finished." After receiving a somber nod from Joren, as well as a look of admiration from Dom, she turned and made her way back to the victim's apartment.  
  
And you bring me to my knees...Again  
All the times when I could beg you please....In vain  
All the times that I felt insecure....For you  
And I leave my burdens at the door  
  
But I'm on the outside  
I'm looking in  
I can see through you  
See your true colors  
Cause inside you're ugly  
You're ugly like me  
I can see through you  
See to the real you  
  
All the times that I felt like this won't end  
Its for you  
And I taste what I could never have  
It was from you  
All the times that I've cried  
My intentions, full of pride  
But I waste more time than anyone  
  
But I'm on the outside  
I'm looking in  
I can see through you  
See your true colors  
Cause inside you're ugly  
You're ugly like me  
I can see through you  
See to the real you  
  
All the times that I've cried  
All this wasted, it's all inside  
And I feel, all this pain  
Stuffed it down, it's back again  
And I lie, here in bed  
All alone, I can't mend  
But I feel, tomorrow will be okay  
  
AN: Well, it has been over a month since I last updated and I'm sorry that this short, piece of shit chapter is the only update you guys are going to get for awhile(my wonderful SIX reviewers). The song in that chapter was Outside by Staind.and awesome song by an awesome band. And someone asked me in an email about the title of this story, its from a song by the band fuel called its come to this. the song kind of sucks but the lyrics are awesome. BTW, guess who is going to go see fuel in concert on Saturday? THAT WOULD BE ME!lol, sorry.anyway, the next chapter will be longer and a little more A/G and Daine/Neal(sort of).so bye! 


	4. And you were gone

Kel walked through the halls of the police station carelessly, walking into innocent bystanders that were in her path. She was a little preoccupied, thinking about the events of the night before. That case bothered her. There was no physical incriminating evidence, no fingerprints, strands of hair, or DNA anywhere. It was like no one was in the room when the victim died. Or maybe they were dealing with someone who knew how to hide his identity, someone who had killed before. That was it! She could search the database for similar crimes and see what came up. It was a long shot but it was the only chance they had at finding a suspect. As she was sprinting down the halls of the station to her office, she spotted the guy from the night before standing with a woman who she assumed to be the victim's girlfriend in front of Alanna's office. She walked over to where they were standing, sent a brief smile in their direction, knocked on Alanna's door, and entered. She was sitting at her desk going over some paperwork when Kel entered. She looked up and smiled at the young woman.

          "You're just in time. I'm about to interview the employee and the girlfriend of our victim.  Personally, I don't think this murder was committed by anyone who knew the man; it would be a strangely impersonal way to kill someone you knew. There was no way it was a crime of passion. If you want to kill someone you hate or love, you stab them repeatedly or shoot them a couple dozen times, you don't kill them in one shot because you want to bring them as much pain and suffering as possible."

          "Why interview them then?"

          "I've been known to be wrong, Kel. I want to eliminate the two as suspects so we can continue with our investigation. Send them in." 

" You are Daine Sarrasri, correct?" Questioned Alanna, straightforward as always. Alanna and Kel and the victim's girlfriend were in a quiet, isolated room away from the daily bustle of the officers who were stuck with desk duty. The room was fairly average in size, with a desk and a few chairs scattered throughout the room. Alanna sat at the wooden desk, looking over the files from her current case, trying to make sense of it all. Daine sat in a hard, wooden chair across from her. She was very much deep in thought, reasonably so considering the fact that the person that she loved more than anyone had died less than 24 hours ago. She was remarkably calm though and Kel admired her ability to stay so strong in a situation like this. Kel was leaning on the wall in a dimly lit corner of the room.

"Yes" Daine answered, her voice shaking slightly.

"What exactly was your relationship with Numair Salmilan?"

 "We had been dating for the past four years. He asked me to marry him last night."

"I'm sorry for your loss" Alanna replied quietly. Daine nodded and Alanna continued.

"How was your relationship with the victim? Had there been any fights recently?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, everyone fights. Maybe we fought a bit more than the average couple, but our hearts were in the right place."

 "How many, in total, would you say there were?" The questioning was starting to unnerve Daine and her lower lip began to quiver.

"Officer Cooper, is all of this questioning really necessary?" Kel interrupted. She thought that Alanna was being pretty harsh on this woman, especially because she hadn't given Daine time to become accustomed to everything. Her fiancé did just die the night before. Alanna turned around and glared at her partner.

"You of all people, officer, should know that this could very well be the fastest way to find out if this case was suicide or homicide. I am shocked by your lack of professionalism." She spat out the word "Officer" as if it poisoned her tongue just to say it. Kel blushed and muttered something similar to 'It won't happen again'.

"Now, did Numair have any enemies, anyone who would want to see him dead?"

Daine, who now had tears running down her cheeks, tried to stay focused and answer her question truthfully. "No, not that I can think of. Everyone who knew him loved him. But he was reclusive, he didn't know very many people."

"Did he have any family, anyone we could contact?"

"No, he told me his family died when his house burned down when he was sixteen. He's been on his own ever since. I guess Joren and I are the closest thing to a family he had."

"So he was close to Joren then? He made it sound as if they didn't have that close of a relationship."

Daine laughed sarcastically. "I don't know why, but Numair adored the boy. I think he felt sorry for him personally. He was a street kid who had done amazingly well in school, graduated top of his class, over a 1500 on the S.A.T, but he never had a chance to make it in the real world. I think Numair's life was very similar to that after his parents died. In a way, Joren reminded him of a younger version of himself."

"You don't sound like you're too fond of him."

"Most of the time I can't stand him. But occasionally he'll do something completely nice and out of character and I'll find myself thinking he's ok. But then he'll do something that will reinstate him as an asshole in my mind. To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for Numair, I probably wouldn't even talk to the guy."

"Is there any chance that Joren could be capable of hurting Numair?"

"No. He could never do anything to hurt Numair, I know he wouldn't."

"Alright. Thank you for your time. I might have to call you down here to talk to you a few more times before the investigation is over, but right now, you are free to go." And she was gone.

Once she left, Alanna sighed heavily. 

" She was too emotional; a few questions later she would be sobbing and muttering her answers incoherently. She would be no help to us."

" Possible guilt trip?"

"I doubt it"

A light tap sounded on the door as a young man entered. He looked to be in his early twenties and stood about three inches taller than Kel. His shoulder-length pale blonde hair was tied back, clearly showing his even paler face. He had shockingly bright blue eyes. Whenever he looked at Alanna it felt as if he was reading her mind and determining if she was worth his time.

" Joren Stonemountain?" Alanna questioned as he sat down in the chair that Daine had previously occupied. He nodded his head and Alanna cleared her throat; they were ready to begin.

" How old are you, Mr. Stonemountain?"

" Twenty- three."

"And how long have you been working for Numair Salmilan?"

" A little over a year."

" When he first hired you did you two get along?"

" No, but I mean come on, everyone hates there boss in the beginning." Saying this he smiled at Kel. When she gave no reply and Alanna was looking a little pissed he began again.

" He hired me to help keep the finances straight. I mostly filled our orders and worked on the computer and shit like that. But no, at first we didn't get along. He said I had the social skills of a toaster and I said that he was a slave driver."

" If you didn't get along the why didn't he ever fire you?"

" Because I am the best at what I do," He bragged. Alanna was stunned with this man's arrogance. When she asked him a question he looked her squarely in the eyes as he answered. He was a jackass but the scary thing was that he was smart enough to know when to annoy her and when to stop. He was able to read people amazingly well and knew exactly how far he could push them.

" So he kept you because it was absolutely necessary?"

" Well, yes, in the beginning he did."

" Later you learned to tolerate each other?"

" Yeah"

" Would you have classified him a friend?"

He looked down at the floor when he answered, " Yes."

To her astonishment she realized that she was back in control of the interview.

" When was the last time you saw him?"

" About seven last night. He left me in charge of the Emperor Mage because he had a date. I was going to stop by his apartment and tell him about this asshole of a customer I had to help who was asking for Numair. I thought it was weird so I went to tell Numair about it. I knocked and he didn't answer, so I tried the doorknob. It was unlocked so I went in. I saw Numair in there with half of his fucking head missing and I called the cops. That's it. Can I go now?"

Alanna sighed. "Yes, you can leave, but I might have to call you back here to talk to me later on in the investigation."

With a quick nod of his head, he left. "Well what did you think of that?" 

"Smart kid. He was a bit of an ass though."

"Yes, I noticed that. He was overconfident."

"Yes he was. He was very attractive though."

"What?"

" Hey I may be old but I'm not dead!"

Kel laughed. "Watch out or George will get jealous!"

" Old George needs a little jealousy in his life."

Alanna continued, now serious." I don't think he killed him."

"No"

" So right now, we've got nothing."

"Wonderful."

And with that they sat, thinking about possible solutions in silence and Kel suddenly remembered.

"I was going to check the M.O.!" Alanna shot her a quizzical look.

"Well, come on. There were no clues at the crime scene, no evidence that the killer even knew the man- I'm willing to bet that the murderer has killed before."

Joren walked slowly into his small, one bedroom apartment. It wasn't that big, but it was all he could afford. He fixed himself a drink and sat at his table. This week had been unbelievable. Numair, his boss and only friend in the world was gone. God, he hated that word. Gone. As in never coming back. The worst part was that it felt as if Numair had just on a business trip or something and would be coming back any day now.  He knew that Numair was dead, and yet every morning he still went to the Emperor Mage, leaving only after he made sure the front doors were still locked. He hated to think about what would happen to the store. Someone new would buy it and turn it into something like a coffeehouse, but it would still be as if the last of Numair's legacy was torn down.

The police were as lost about the investigation as he was. They were stuck. They had no suspects, no evidence, no leads. It looked like Numair's killer would be getting away after all. And the thought of that made him sick to his stomach.

The sky was dark this morning

Not a bird in the trees

Silence hung suspicious and anxious

Like a blanket covered scream

And you were gone

You were not there for me

And I curse the sky and beg the sun to

Fall down over me

This life's not living

Living ain't free 

And if I can't find my way back to me

Let the sun fall down over me

All my friends are searching

Quiet, desperately

Look into their eyes

You'll see the faithless crying

Save me, save me, save me

What are they to feel?

Who are they to be?

What am I to do with

Do with me

Let the sun fall over me

This life's not living

Living ain't free

And if I can't find my way back to me

Let the sun fall down

Until my eyes cry out

Until my head is free from doubt

Until my lungs are rotted out

Until I'm wiser

AN: So look who finally updated. I think I deserve a round of applause (or at least a long list of reviews). I started another Kel/Joren story called 'Despite all my Rage' (I know, another title that is song lyrics, but it just fit so well) please check it out. It has a cool plot but I really don't think it is as well written, but I like it. I've been having a really bad week, so please send me reviews to put me in a good mood and maybe I will update faster next time!


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